Classroom Grants

How Grants Are Funded:
Classroom grants are funded three ways: contributions made directly to The Nassau Education Foundation, via matching funds through The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF) and through a portion of all sales of “Support Education” license tags purchased in Nassau County.
Generous individuals and companies throughout our community donate to the Nassau Education Foundation during our annual fundraising gala, held in January, or through personal contributions.
In addition, funding for grants is also provided with proceeds from Florida’s “License for Learning” specialty tags. A portion of all sales of the “Support Education” specialty license tags are donated to the Nassau Education Foundation and those funds are announced during our annual fundraising gala.

The CFEF serves as a link between local education foundations and regional, statewide and national donors. In addition, member foundations are often able to access a $1-1 match from CFEF for eligible programs through the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program. To obtain funds through CFEF’s matching grant program, school districts throughout the State of Florida and/or their education foundation must identify a large project that falls into one of six categories as determined by CFEF. A district’s education foundation must write a grant application and report on the outcomes. To date, NEF has continued the projects started in our first year. These include Robotics teams in all secondary schools, with expansion beginning into elementary schools this year. NEF has also funded a district-wide learning software, and worked to expand career technical programs in the high schools.

The Grant Process:
Members of the Nassau Education Foundation’s Grants Committee attend a Nassau County School District principal’s meeting, typically held in January, to announce the upcoming grant cycle. In February, an email is sent to all teachers throughout our school district explaining the grant process along with a link to the application portal. The grant application portal is open for approximately one month. During this time, the Nassau Education Foundation’s Board of Directors sets the overall grant money to be distributed in that given year, based on funds raised.

Once the portal closes, our Grants Committee, using a rubric, reviews all substantive applications for grants. Projects are reviewed to ensure alignment with school and district goals, demonstrate creativity and innovation, effective use of resources and the overall impact on the learning experience. It is our feeling that these investments can transform a good curriculum into an excellent learning experience. It is our hope that the grants program will encourage teachers to generate creative projects in areas where school budgets fall short or tax dollars cannot be used. Using the rubric as a form of measurement, the Grants Committee awards grants based on the highest overall scores in each school to ensure that all schools are impacted. Finally, a portion of the funding is awarded to the highest overall remaining grants, regardless of school, to recognize the merit of new and innovative ideas.

May is our favorite time of the year as this is when we notify teachers of their grant awards. Members of our board of directors visit each school to present grant recipients with their award certificate. Images captured during these events are shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages. (Link to each account)

Grant recipients may begin the purchase process in July so they may start the school year equipped with their grant tools in hand.

Any questions regarding our grants or grant process, may be directed to our grants specialist at hello@nassaueducationfoundation.org